INST104 Exam 2: Concept 3 - Design and Experiences (Games Design, AR/VR)

What is a Game?

A problem-solving activity, approached with a playful attitude

Characteristics of Games

• Entered willfully

• Have goals

• Have conflicts

• Can be won and lost

• Have challenge

• Are interactive

• Are closed, formal system

• Engage players

Four Basic Elements of a Game

• Mechanics (a.k.a. core mechanics):

  • Procedures and rules of a game

  • Describe the goals, how players can and cannot try to achieve them, and what happens when they try

• Story

  • Sequence of events that unfolds in a game

  • Linear and pre-scripted, or branching and emergent

• Aesthetics

  • How a game looks, sounds, smells, tastes, and feels

  • Has most direct impact on game experience

• Technology

  • Any materials and interactions that make a game possible, such as paper and pencil, plastic chits, or computers.

  • The medium in which aesthetics take place

Spectrum of Games

• Entertainment

• “Edutainment”/Serious Games

• Education

• Simulations

Game Design Basics: The Design of a Game

The main goal is to engage the player:

• Play

• Premise

• Challenge

• Character

• Story

• Dramatic Elements

Game Design Basics: Working with Formal Elements (pt. 1)

• Players

  • Invitation to Play

  • Number of Players

  • Roles of Players

  • Player Interaction Patterns

• Objectives: Define what players are trying to accomplish within the rules of the game

• Procedures: Who does what, when, and how?

  • System Procedures: physical vs. digital

Game Design Basics: Working with Formal Elements (pt. 2)

• Rules: Define game objects and define allowable actions by the players.

  • Rules Defining Objects and Concepts: avoid complexity

  • Rules Restricting Action

  • Rules Determining Effects

• Resources

  • Lives/Units/Health/Currency/Power-ups/Inventory/Special Terrain/Time

• Conflict

  • Obstacles/Opponents/Dilemmas

• Outcome

The Role of a Game Designer

Game Designers are Iterative Designers

• Test, play, change, and test again

• They '“apply rules and systems to something in order to turn it from a toy into a game.” - a Reddit user

• The most important skill for a game designer is LISTENING!

What is Immersive Media?

Digital Technology that creates or enhances an environment, either to simulate the physical world or to create something completely new.

*The enemy of immersion is boring. The enemy of immersion is NO FLOW.*

Traditional vs. Immersive Media

Traditional Media: Audience is typically a passive consumer of the content, with no control over the narrative or environment. (TV, Radio, Movies)

• Primarily engages with sight and sound

• Usually follows a linear narrative

• Mainly for entertainment, info, and education in a more conventional way.

Immersive Media: Users can actively participate and influence the experience (VR, AR)

• Engages multiple senses; objective is to make a more lifelike experience.

• Content and narrative is often nonlinear and users are able to choose their own paths/actions.

• Used not only for entertainment, but education, training, and therapy

Different Types of Immersive Media

• Virtual Reality (VR): Creates a simulated environment that can be interactive

• Augmented Reality (AR): Overlays digital information onto the real world

• Mixed Reality (MR): Environments where physical and digital objects co-exist and that users can interact with in real-time

• 360-Degree Videos

• Interactive Media: Anything that is dependent on the user’s input

• Extended Reality (XR)

How We Design for Immersive Media

• Understand the Audience (i.e. the demographic, psychographic, and behavioral characteristics of a target audience)

• Natural and Intuitive Interaction: Interactions that mimic real-world behavior are intuitive and thus, the most user-friendly

• Comfort and Ergonomics: Physical comfort and safety, particularly for devices worn for extended periods

• Multisensory Engagement and Realism: Immersive Media should utilize visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli to enhance realism.

• Accessibility and Inclusivity: Designers must ensure that immersive experiences cater to a broad range of abilities.

• Emotional Connection Through Narrative: Use storytelling to create a deeper emotional connection through immersive narrative that allow users to be a part of the story.

Concerns for Narration from Steven Spielberg

“it [virtual reality] gives the viewer a lot of latitude not to take direction from the storytellers, but make their own choices of where to look”

Limitations/Considerations of Narration

• Spatial Awareness in AR and MR

• Technical and Performance Considerations

• Safety and Ethics